Ever like you’re running out of creative inspiration for your surface pattern designs?

Too many deadlines, demanding clients, no cohesive vision, and even too many coffees can leave you feeling blocked and uninspired. It is hard to deliver creativity sometimes, but this stage is essential whether you are a beginner or an experienced surface pattern designer. Here are a few constructive ways we’ve put in a list together to get your creative juices flowing that will help you gain inspiration to create repeat patterns in the field of surface pattern design.

01. Take a walk through and observe:

Observation is a necessary skill and foundation to develop any style of art. It is the most powerful tool because it helps us determine what to do next. You can master this skill by taking a walk through the neighbourhood and looking at all the fine details around you. It doesn’t involve the computer. Instead involves exploration, venturing outdoors, and collecting things that inspire you. The world is full of patterns. Once you look around, you will find them everywhere. Look at birds, seasonal flowers or foliage, or sometimes your shadow too. Even a door mob can inspire you to make some quirky designs. As we all live in a social media age, finding inspiration has happened only through some Pinterest boards or through Instagram feeds. Instead, turn that all off and click some pictures when you visit any of the places or maybe your garden too. If quirky is your niche or you’re too lazy to step out, then here’s something funny. You can try making prints of kitchen wares and make it look cartoonish.

02. Sketching or Random doodling: 

Doodling improves one’s ability to find novel and creative solutions to any complex and crucial issues. It also allows one to get quick ideas down on paper. Don’t be afraid, you do not need to know what you have to sketch and doodle. Just take your pen or pencil and craft what’s coming up in your mind. Sometimes random things turn out to be creative and great. Give yourself a ‘me’ time even if it is for ten minutes. 

03. Mind Mapping:

This we have learned in school. Let’s go back to those old and traditional learning tricks. It is an easy and efficient way to facilitate ideas organically. Start with a general idea and develop branches, keywords or visuals from that starting point. Later connect it to the central idea. Mind Mapping is a blood flow required for any designer’s mind to kick start his/her though process.

04. Build your Inspiration Library:

You may be on your break and suddenly remembered or saw something. Take it as a habit to collect everything – be it photographs, products, interesting colour combination or any lettering that you find interesting. Make a visual bank and use that as a source of inspiration when you are unable to find anything new. You can also try out this option of up cycling your old work and revamping it with few modifications

05. Observe Trends:

Observing trends doesn’t mean that you have to copy the same. Rather, observe what’s in the market, people’s likes, dislikes and on the runway. If you notice that checks or plaids are in this season then you can try doing some amalgamation of bold motifs on those checks and plaids. This way you can follow the trend along with being authentic. 

06. Talk and converse:

You cannot stay aloof when you are practicing surface pattern design. Talk to your clients, fellow friends of what they need and expect from you. Stay connected with the designers, form a community, do a discussion and spill out your ideas. You never know sometimes a great conversation can put you in a creative thought process. 

They say, “Practice makes a man perfect”. So, what you have to do is practice the above efforts, to make it a habit and a part of your routine. Our online course in surface pattern design at Atisha Design studio gives every individual its own wing to practice these creative ideas. This process is both fun and very beneficial to help you gain inspiration for your design source in surface pattern design.